“How can our organisation champion peace when our project proposals always get rejected because we do not have an audited financial statement or the necessary human resource or procedure manuals to convince a donor to finance us?” It is no longer a secret that one of the biggest challenges faced by young people in CSO is their operational capacity. Though young people are very passionate about bringing about change, it has been increasingly seen that their inability to properly run their organisation and manage their projects has affected their ability to mobilise resources and amplify their impact. A 2019 study noted that over 60% of youth-led peace-building CSO organisations operate under 300 USD per annum; so how do we expect young people with no ability to raise and manage resources to lead YPS in Cameroon?

This paper draws from field opinions and exchanges captured during the series of Operational capacity-building sessions organised by LOYOC in the ten regions of Cameroon as part of the YOUNG Cameroon project implemented with Search for Common Ground with funding from the European Union. The paper brings forth solid recommendations on how operational capacity for youth-led organisations can be used in unlocking the potential of young people to implement the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) in Cameroon. The brief provides a concise analysis to inform current debates and decision-making. Key findings and recommendations are listed on the first and second pages to allow busy readers to quickly grasp the main points.

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